A Murderer Amongst Us
by thevinylfreak
Summary: When the Bennets, accompanied by Mr. Wickham, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley, sat down for dinner, Lydia's cup was somehow poisoned. Can Mr. Darcy determine who it was that slipped the poison into her cup? Reviews appreciated. Completed.
1. The Murder

It was the warmest of days. The sun shone brilliantly without a single cloud to conceal it. The Bennet household was particularly hot, and it's inhabitants drenched in sweat. Elizabeth Bennet sat in a chat by the open window, her eyes closed and the breeze lifting her dampened hair. She was enjoying the peaceful sound of the breeze whistling through the air, an open book on her lap.

"Elizabeth!" said a voice that sounded very similar to that of her beloved's, and when she opened her eyes and turned, she found her smiling Mr. Darcy outside of the open window.

"Fitzwilliam!" she exclaimed, taking his hand through the window and kissing it. "I expected you this morning!"

"I know, my dearest. I apologize deeply, but I am happy to be in your presence now," her fiancé responded.

"Do come inside! You must be rather warm out there in the sun!" Elizabeth told him, and she ran to the door to greet him. He rushed to her and lifted her into his arms, burying his lips in her hair and holding her. He happily followed her inside, then sat beside her on a sofa, her hands in his. "Did you sleep well? How was your morning?"

"My Elizabeth, I cannot sleep soundly until you are mine."

"Oh, but I am! My dear Fitzwilliam, I am yours." She brought his hands to her lips and kissed them.

"I mean until you are tied to me in chains made from the heavens above; chains that would keep you tied to me forever and for the rest of eternity."

"Fitzwilliam, do you doubt my love for you? I love you unconditionally... Is that not enough to settle your nerves?"

"I must be married to you in order to rest easy, dearest. Now how did you sleep?"

"Oh, just about the same... I am quite the hypocrite, calling you out on your nerves when I possess them myself."

"Dearest, you have no reason to doubt my never-ending love for you."

"Perhaps you ought to listen to yourself as well." He laughed, then slowly leaned into her, both of their eyes closing, their lips mere millimeters away...

"Is Mr. Darcy here, yet, Elizabeth?" came Mrs. Bennet's voice, interrupting their impending kiss. Elizabeth let out a sigh.

"Yes, mama, he is," she said, her eyes meeting Mr. Darcy's. Mrs. Bennet waltzed into the room, overjoyed to see her soon-to-be son-in-law. Mr. Darcy rose to receive her affections.

"Oh, Mr. Darcy! What a pleasure to see you again!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed, taking his hands and forcing him to bend down so she could kiss his cheek.

"It is quite the pleasure to see you again as well, Mrs. Bennet. How is Mr. Bennet?" Mr. Darcy asked her.

"Oh, in the library as usual... He is quite well. Lydia is coming, along with her husband, Mr. Wickham! They wished to congratulate their sisters on their engagements! Oh, I must check the menu again!" She rushed out of the room, clearly oblivious to Mr. Darcy's paled face. Elizabeth, however, was quick to catch it even though he forced the color to his cheeks as he returned to her side.

"He is married now and Miss Darcy is not here to see him," she told her fiancé.

"Yes, but you yourself almost fell into a relationship with him. I cannot rest easy while he is in the same room as you."

"I shall make sure that he comes nowhere near me, and if he does, I shall seek your company."

"Please, my dearest." He kissed her brow, then stood when Jane Bennet entered the room. "Good morning, Miss Bennet."

"Good morning, Mr. Darcy! Did you come alone?" asked Jane.

"Indeed I did. Mr. Bingley is to follow shortly. He had some arrangements to settle," Mr. Darcy replied. Jane blushed at the mention of her fiancé.

"I must make sure mama is not fretting over dinner again. She has checked the menu thrice already," said Jane, and with a curtsy, she left. Mr. Darcy again took his seat beside his fiancée.

"Your entire family seems to have warmed up to my company," he said to her.

"Yes, they must, for you are to marry me and become a part of their family. Jane never had a negative opinion of you, Fitzwilliam."

"Perhaps I ought to have asked for her hand instead."

"Oh, you're retched, Mr. Darcy!"

"I only tease, for I love you perhaps more than the biblical lovers even did." Elizabeth kissed his cheek after blushing, then rested her head on his shoulder.

"Oh, the feelings you give me, my Fitzwilliam..."

"Are they strong enough to allow you to kiss me?"

"They have been begging you to kiss me." Again, he leaned into her face, and he was mere millimeters from her face yet again when they were interrupted.

"They're here! They're here! Oh, Mr. Bennet! Jane! Kitty! Mary! Elizabeth! They're here! My Lydia and her Mr. Wickham!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed. Elizabeth let out a sigh and kissed her paling fiancé's cheek, then stood and took his hand in hers.

"Come, my Fitzwilliam. We must face our demons together. It shall be good practice for when we are married." He agreed, but only when she agreed to let him kiss her when they were alone, if they found the time. Together, they stood and greeted Mr. and Mrs. Wickham as they entered the Bennet house.

"Jane! Elizabeth! Oh, where are my engaged sisters? I must congratulate them!" Jane stepped into Lydia's open arms and Elizabeth stepped forward, much to Mr. Darcy's dismay. He caught Mr. Wickham's eye, their gazes clashing. Mr. Darcy's seemed threatening, Mr. Wickham's suspicious. He was distracted when he felt Elizabeth's hand on his arm and turned his gaze to her, who was far more suitable - and deserving - for his eyes.

Mr. Bingley arrived about an hour after the Wickhams, as he was to dine with the Bennets as well. Dinner arrived shortly after, and Elizabeth made sure Wickham was seated as far from her as possible for Mr. Darcy's enjoyment. Thankfully for her, that put her beside Mr. Bennett and across from Mr. Darcy. She was disappointed to have to sit beside Lydia, who was showing off her glass of wine to Kitty beside her. When Lydia set it down and started chatting about bonnets, Elizabeth switched her sister's wine with her water.

"Silly Lizzie, I saw that!" said Lydia, taking the wine back before Elizabeth could take a sip. She blushed when Mr. Darcy stifled a chuckle at her attempt. Dinner was eaten quickly and everyone met in the parlor. On the sofa, Mr. Darcy sat on the far left with his fiancée beside him. Jane sat next to Elizabeth and beside her on the far right of the sofa was Mr. Bingley. Mary sat by the pianoforte playing, Mrs. Bennet was sitting on a smaller sofa between Mr. Bennet and Kitty. Lydia sat in the chair by the window, Mr. Wickham hovering above her. Mr. Darcy noticed his eyes flitting around nervously. The room was silent, save Mary's playing, and Mrs. Bennet chatted quietly to Kitty. Mr. Darcy leaned over to Elizabeth.

"Can we not go for a walk? I cannot stand being in the same room as that scoundrel," he whispered in her ear.

"Neither can I. Please, let us," she whispered back, and they stood and announced that they were going for a walk. Jane and Mr. Bingley offered to join them as chaperones, and as the two couples were about to exit the room, they were stopped by a fit of coughing.

"Lydia!" Mr. Wickham exclaimed, and the couples turned to see her hands on her throat and her face turning blue.

"My Lydia!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed, running to her youngest daughter as she fell to her knees. Lydia was dead by the time Mrs. Bennet arrived by her side, her glass lying on the floor and its contents spilled. Mrs. Bennet was in fits, Mr. Wickham was too shocked to comprehend what had just happened, and Mr. Darcy was quick to investigate the cause of her death. He lifted the glass, sniffing it, then turned to face the rest of the room.

"I dare say she has been poisoned," he announced. Kitty gasped, Mary dropped her hands on the keys of the pianoforte, Mr. Bennet dropped his book, Jane hid her tears in Mr. Bingley's coat and Elizabeth was too shocked to react. Mr. Wickham, however, stood and pointed an accusing finger at Mr. Darcy.

"Then it was YOU! You killed my beloved! How else would you have known she was poisoned?" he exclaimed. Elizabeth ran to his side and took his arm.

"It was not my Mr. Darcy! He only knew the difference between poisoned wine and unpoisoned wine!" she shouted.

"Elizabeth! She switched the glasses! I saw her!" Kitty exclaimed.

"Kitty! I switched the glasses because I felt it unnecessary for her to even drink wine! She switched them back before I could take a sip!" Elizabeth shouted in her defense.

"Oh, my beloved..." said Mr. Darcy, pulling her into his arms and pressing his forehead to hers. "It could have been you lying on the floor tonight just as easily..."

"Better Lizzie than my Lydia!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed through her tears.

"Mama!" Jane exclaimed, her head resting on Mr. Bingley's chest.

"Well, someone here did it!" Mr. Wickham shouted.

"Yes, and standing here pointing fingers at each other shall not tell us who did it," said Mr. Darcy.

"How will we determine who did it?" Elizabeth asked her fiancé. He pressed his lips to her brow and separated himself from her, slowly walking around the room.

"Someone in this room is a murderer," he said, addressing the crowd.

"Yes, we have established that already, Darcy!" Mr. Wickham exclaimed.

"I'm sure we all wish to know who it was that poisoned poor Miss Lydia's cup. Perhaps we ought to first learn where everyone was before dinner tonight," said Mr. Darcy, ignoring Mr. Wickham's outburst. "Who shall we start with? Miss Jane? Would you please tell us what you were doing before dinner tonight?"

"She didn't do it, Darcy!" Mr. Bingley exclaimed in a threatening manner, squeezing his beloved tightly.

"My dearest Charles, he is not accusing me. He was simply asking me to explain myself. Any one of us could have done it, so for now, we are all suspects," Jane explained to him. Mr. Bingley sighed.

"All right... Carry on..." Jane cleared her throat.


	2. Jane's Story

"Well, I guess I shall start with this morning. I awoke at seven, dressed and went down for breakfast... After that..."

* * *

_Jane sat in the parlor reading when Mary came in, asking permission to sing and play on the pianoforte. "Oh, must you now, dear sister?" Jane asked her._

_"Well, how am I to get enough practice to play at yours and Elizabeth's wedding?" asked Mary. Jane only sighed and closed her book._

_"All right... I guess I ought to get to work on my embroidering." She sat down and began to embroider her dresses when Elizabeth walked into the parlor._

_"Has Mr. Darcy come yet?" asked Elizabeth._

_"No, Lizzie. Surely, you would know by now if Mr. Darcy were here," said Jane from her embroidering._

_"Warn me when Lydia arrives... I guess I shall go for a walk," said Elizabeth._

_"Of course, Lizzie," said Jane as Elizabeth left the room. Mary stopped playing._

_"You don't seem too thrilled that Lydia is coming," said Mary._

_"Oh, it isn't that I'm not thrilled... I just enjoyed the peace," Jane replied._

_"You shan't have to endure it long," said Mary._

_"Yes, that is true. I am sure that Mr. Bingley and I will leave immediately for our honeymoon," Jane replied._

_"You're lucky... Kitty and I will have to endure 'oh, my dear Mr. Wickham' for weeks." Jane laughed and set down her embroidering._

_"Yes, I daresay I am, though more lucky to be the girl to marry Mr. Bingley... I am going to go and check on Mama in the kitchen. She ought to be checking the menu." As Jane left, she heard the pianoforte again._

_Jane arrived in the kitchen searching for her mother, and unable to find her, went to seek her father. "Papa, where is Mama?"_

_"She should be in the kitchen checking the menu, should she not?" asked Mr. Bennet._

_"I just came from the kitchen. I dare say that I did not see her," Jane replied. She heard the kitchen door creak open, so Jane returned to the kitchen and found Mrs. Bennet scolding Elizabeth._

_"Dear, you must not go walking after it rains! You must change! Your dress is all dirty and ruined! When Mr. Darcy arrives, he will not want to see his bride-to-be all dirty! It just might be enough to turn him away!" she was telling her daughter._

_"Oh, Mama, Mr. Darcy has seen me in worse states... Besides, he's already seen me with the hems of my dress muddied. He still loved me then," Elizabeth told her mother._

_"In worse states? Oh, my poor nerves... Mrs. Potts! Mrs. Potts, I must see that menu again!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed._

_"Mrs. Bennet, you have seen it twice already," said the cook, Mrs. Potts._

_"Oh, but I must see it again! It must be good for the tastes of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley!" Elizabeth and Jane only laughed._

_"You will change, won't you, Lizzie?" Jane asked her sister._

_"Must I?" asked Elizabeth._

_"Do settle Mama's nerves... Hurry, now. Mr. Darcy could arrive any minute with my Mr. Bingley! We must greet them together," Jane told her, and Elizabeth rushed to change for fear that Mr. Darcy would arrive while she were changing. Jane went to join Mary again in the parlor, but found herself alone, so instead, she went outside to enjoy the fresh air. It was getting hot so quickly; the clouds had parted and Jane found herself sweating. She returned inside and went up to her room to douse herself in her floral fragrance when she heard Mrs. Bennet downstairs._

_"Is Mr. Darcy here yet, Elizabeth?" she said, and Jane could make out her sister's response, confirming that Mr. Darcy had indeed arrived. Hoping that Mr. Bingley was with him, Jane took a few minutes to make herself a bit more presentable before descending the staircase. As she walked into the parlor, Mr. Darcy stood to greet her._

_"Good morning, Miss Bennet," he said to her._

_"Good morning, Mr. Darcy!" Jane said joyously, looking around the room for her Mr. Bingley. "Did you come alone?"_

_"Indeed I did," said Mr. Darcy. "Mr. Bingley will follow shortly. He had some arrangements to settle." Jane blushed when Mr. Bingley was mentioned and looked at her feet._

_"I must make sure Mama is not fretting over dinner again. She has checked the menu thrice already," said Jane, and with a curtsy, she left her sister and her soon-to-be brother alone. Afterwards, she thought it not to be a very good idea, for Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth could induce themselves in improper behavior. Deciding to trust her sister, she went outside and sat down again. Shortly after, she started hearing carriage wheels, and she knew that Lydia and Mr. Wickham arrived. She returned inside._

_"Jane! Lizzie! Oh, where are my engaged sisters? I must congratulate them!" she heard Lydia exclaim, and she walked into the arms of her youngst sister before Lydia embraced Elizabeth. "Congratulations to both of you! I'm so thrilled that my elder sisters are finally getting married! And to wealthy men, too! You'll have fancy carriages and clothes and you'll be on top of society! I only wish my dear Wickham and I could be..."_

_"Lydia, dearest, we had a long journey. Let us rest before dinner," said Mr. Wickham. Jane noticed Mr. Darcy's sigh of relief, and Elizabeth asked him if they could go and sit outside together._

_"Of course, my Lizzie," said Mr. Darcy, and they went outside. Jane sat down and returned to her embroidering, and about an hour after, Mr. Bingley was announced. Jane stood as her beloved Mr. Bingley walked into the room and they rushed to each other, embracing each other's forms tightly._

_"I'm so sorry, my sweet Miss Bennet! I wish I hadn't forgotten about those arrangements! I could have come far sooner..." he said to her, his eyes never leaving hers._

_"Oh, Mr. Bingley, it's all right..." Jane told him, her arms around his neck._

_"Please, Miss Bennet, call me Charles. Haven't you noticed that Darcy and Miss Elizabeth call each other by their Christian names?" Jane blushed and confessed that she had._

_"All right... But you are to call me Jane."_

_"I can do that... Jane." She blushed again and he kissed her brow. "Speaking of Darcy, where is he? I have a letter for him from his sister."_

_"He went to sit outside with my sister." She smiled at him when he kissed her brow again and left to deliver Mr. Darcy's letter. When he returned, he seemed a bit flushed, but Jane only thought that was from him being near her. He embraced her again and watched her embroider until dinner was called. She sat across from Mr. Wickham and next to Mary, but Mr. Bingley sat between Mary and Mr. Darcy, so she felt that she was close enough to him to be satisfied. She felt a slight twinge of jealousy towards Elizabeth, however, for being able to sit directly across from her fiancé. She witnessed the exchanging of the glasses as well, and watched as Elizabeth raised the glass to her lips._

_"Silly, Lizzie. I saw that!" Lydia exclaimed, switching the glasses again. She sipped her wine with pride._

* * *

"That must have been before it was poisoned, or it would have killed her then."

"Yes, that does seem likely, Miss Bennet..." said Mr. Darcy, pondering. "After dinner, you came directly here?"

"No, sir, I went into the kitchen with Mama, Lydia, Kitty and Mr. Wickham," said Jane. "I spent perhaps five minutes in there, but it was only to look at the menu because I was not quite sure what it was that I ate. After that, I got a glass of brandy for Charles and brought it here."

"I see... Miss Mary, if you could please share your story?" asked Mr. Darcy, turning to Mary.

"Jane told half of it," Mary said from the pianoforte.

"Please share the rest of it," said Mr. Darcy, and Mary let out a sigh, turning on the bench to share her story.


	3. Mary's Story

"I woke up this morning at half past six in order to organize my music sheets so I could practice the pianoforte in time for the double wedding..."

* * *

_Mary went down for breakfast and ate in silence as usual, then was quick to return to her room to seek her music sheets. When she finally found them, she returned downstairs to find Jane reading on the sofa. "Jane, might I practice?"_

_"Must you play right now, dear sister?" asked Jane, looking up from her book._

_"If I want to sound good for yours and Elizabeth's wedding, I do!" Mary exclaimed. Jane sighed and closed her book._

_"Oh, all right... I guess I'll embroider my dresses," said Jane, and that was exactly what she did. As Mary started practicing, Elizabeth walked into the parlor, causing Mary to stop._

_"Has Mr. Darcy arrived yet?" she asked._

_"No, Lizzie. Surely, you would have known by now," said Jane._

_"Yes, I suppose you're right..." said Elizabeth. "I'm going to go take a walk, then." Elizabeth left the parlor to take her walk after making a comment about Lydia and Mary turned to Jane._

_"Are you excited to see our baby sister today?" she asked Jane._

_"It will be good to see her, but I dare say that I enjoyed the peace," said Jane._

_"Yes, it was nice... Kitty is so quiet without Lydia, and she is actually attracting young men," said Mary._

_"Yes, that is true. Perhaps having Lydia around will chase them away," said Jane._

_"I feel bad for Kitty. She is overshadowed by us all in some way," said Mary._

_"Yes, but she does put up with it. She's a strong young woman, that is for sure," said Jane. "I must go and check on Mama to make sure she is not losing her head over the menu." After Jane left, Mary pulled out the sheet music for Johann Pachelbel's 'Canon in D', the song that she was working hard to perfect for the wedding, and started to play it. She played until she heard her mother yell something about Mr. Darcy, then went upstairs to try and find the other song she planned on playing for the wedding. She heard Lydia's carriage arrive, but she did not go downstairs to greet her sister, as she was too immersed in finding her sheet music._

_She came down next for dinner, seating herself between Jane and Mr. Bingley, as it was the only seat remaining, and ate her dinner in silence. She, too, witnessed the exchange of the cups._

* * *

"After that, I sat down right here to play for tonight when I heard Elizabeth announce that she and Mr. Darcy were going for a walk, and then I heard Lydia coughing."

"Well, we can confirm that Miss Elizabeth did, indeed, enter the parlor inquiring about me," said Mr. Darcy, smiling at his fiancée across the room. She smiled at him as well, and Mr. Darcy looked at the people before him. Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Wickham were still hovering over Lydia's lifeless body.

"Miss Kitty, you were mentioned frequently in Miss Mary's story, which matched Miss Bennet's story very little. Do tell your story," said Mr. Darcy. Kitty tensed, clearly afraid of something.

"Kitty, tell Mr. Darcy your story," said Elizabeth, standing and taking Mr. Darcy's arm.

Kitty felt the perspiration starting. "Er... Well..."


	4. Kitty's Story

"Well... Let us see... I believe the time, when I awoke, was a quarter past seven... I arose and Mary helped me dress, as our maid, Miss Stanton, was busy helping Jane and Lizzie dress..."

* * *

_Kitty selected the light blue frock and Mary helped her pull it on. "How does this look?"_

_"I like it better than the yellow one that you selected earlier," said Mary._

_"It's not as pretty as the pink one... Or the lavender one," said Kitty._

_"Do I look like I care about the colors of your frocks? I want to go and practice my music for the wedding," said Mary grumpily._

_"Oh, all right! I'll wait for Miss Stanton to do my hair then..." said Kitty, and Mary left with her sheet music that had something to do with a cannon. "Oh, why does Mary have to play songs about cannons? This is a wedding, is it not?"_

_"Miss Kitty, do you need my help in dressing?" came Miss Stanton's voice from the door._

_"No, Miss Stanton, Miss Mary helped me. However, I do need help with my hair. I want it to look nice and pretty," said Kitty. Miss Stanton spent an hour making Kitty's hair look to her standards and Kitty took breakfast in her room. When she went downstairs, she greeted Mrs. Bennet, who was rushing by with clean sheets for Lydia and Mr. Wickham's room, which was Elizabeth's._

_"Kitty! Lydia and Mr. Wickham will be here soon! Do make sure the sandwiches are prepared!" she exclaimed._

_"Yes, Mama," said Kitty, and she went into the kitchen. "Mrs. Potts, are the sandwiches ready?"_

_"The sandwiches were prepared ten minutes ago and I told Mrs. Bennet that, Miss Kitty," said Mrs. Potts in an irritated tone._

_"Thank you, Mrs. Potts!" said Kitty, and she skipped out into the hallway just as Lydia's carriage rode up._

_"They're here! They're here! Oh, Mr. Bennet! Jane! Kitty! Mary! Elizabeth! They're here! My Lydia and her Mr. Wickham!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed, and Kitty happily greeted her sister once Lydia greeted and congratulated her sisters and soon-to-be brothers. After she congratulated them, she went back into the kitchen with Mrs. Bennet and watched Mr. Bingley go through the kitchen to exit through the door._

_"Darcy!" she heard him call. "Darcy, I have..." He came back inside all flushed and then left the kitchen, probably to return to Jane. She wondered what it was that made him flushed, but she got distracted when Lydia came in to show off her new bonnet. Shortly after, dinner arrived, and Kitty sat between Mr. Wickham and Lydia. Lydia showed Kitty her glass of wine and set it down, then started talking about bonnets. She did not see the exchange of the glasses._

_"Silly Lizzie, I saw that!" said Lydia, turning and switching the glasses. Kitty's eyes widened in curiosity, wondering what she had missed. She disregarded it shortly after._

* * *

"And that is pretty much it." Mr. Darcy eyed her carefully, then turned his attention to the rest of the room.

"Mr. Bennet, can Miss Stanton, Mrs. Potts and any other servants join us in this room?" he asked.

"Certainly, Mr. Darcy," said Mr. Bennet, and he exited the room.

"Now, I see that we are getting nowhere thus far, but we can confirm that, for a fact, Miss Elizabeth entered the drawing room inquiring about me and then went on her walk and we can also confirm that Mr. Bingley was looking for me and returned flushed," said Mr. Darcy, a slight blush forming on his cheeks. "Miss Elizabeth, Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Wickham, the servants and myself still remain. Mrs. Bennet, would you please share yours?"

"Oh, my poor nerves! I cannot! I cannot!" exclaimed Mrs. Bennet.

"Mr. Darcy, I can assure you that it most certainly was not my mother," said Elizabeth. "Lydia was her favorite daughter so there is no need to stress her even more. If anything, she should be taken to rest."

"I trust your judgement, my Lizzie. Would you mind, then, sharing your story?" Mr. Darcy asked her, taking her hands and kissing them.

"No, not at all," said Elizabeth, and she faced the room.


	5. Elizabeth's Story

"My dear Mr. Darcy, you know most of it, but I shall tell it entirely anyhow. My day started rather early. I think it was a quarter past six... I awoke and dressed on my own, knowing that Miss Stanton had not yet awoken. I must have been the only one awake in the house, so I dressed and went outside to read..."

* * *

_Elizabeth had selected William Shakespeare's sonnets to accompany her on a short walk around the property. Her hair was down and her brown eyes were smiling along with the words. The sun rose silently and everything around her came to life. The wind lifted her gentle brown hair and the leaves of the trees. The birds began to chirp as Elizabeth slowly strode by, book in hand. She was reading Sonnet 116, her mind flowing to Mr. Darcy. She giggled and blushed when she thought of him. She wondered if he were yet awake, and then thought that perhaps, though two centuries after it was written, Sonnet 116 was about her relationship with Mr. Darcy._

_"Oh, Mr. Darcy..." she muttered to herself, holding the book to her chest and spinning in the wind joyously. She looked to the words of the Sonnet, reading them aloud. "Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove. O no, it is an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wand'ring bark, Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken." It was one of her favorite Sonnets, but her favorite was Sonnet 18. How could she deny the beauty in the very words of William Shakespeare? The man had a way with words and Elizabeth wondered how many young women he wooed with them. Had he been alive in eighteen-hundred-and-thirteen, he would most certainly have wooed her. But perhaps he already had... Perhaps he has wooed her through her very own Fitzwilliam Darcy. She wondered if he wrote such tender words..._

_She returned to the house in time for breakfast, then sat in the library with her father to read some more of Shakespeare's sonnets and other pieces of poetry as she waited for Mr. Darcy's arrival. After about an hour of reading, she went into the parlor, where Mary was practicing Johann Pachelbel's 'Canon in D' and Jane was embroidering. "Has Mr. Darcy arrived yet?"_

_"No, Lizzie. Trust me, you shall know when he arrives," said Jane sweetly from where she was embroidering._

_"Thank you, Jane. I think I shall go for another walk. Do warn me when Lydia arrives..." said Elizabeth._

_"Of course, Lizzie," said Jane, and Elizabeth let out a chuckle before going out for her walk. Her walk was filled with thoughts of her Fitzwilliam Darcy and she thought ahead to their wedding. She could not wait for the pastor to declare her Mrs. Darcy and she could not wait to share her first kiss with him as Mr. and Mrs. Darcy. She could not wait for him to hand her into the wedding carriage and to sink onto his arms when he takes his spot beside her. She could not wait even a little bit for the carriage ride to their honeymoon destination. She would kiss him and kiss him until he drowned in her kisses, but she was sure he wouldn't mind. Then she wondered where their honeymoon destination would be. She would make a mental note to ask him when he called on her. (She omitted the part of her thoughts in which she wondered about the wedding night)._

_She returned from her walk and met Mrs. Bennet gathering clean white sheets from the clothesline. "Lizzie!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed. "Your dress! You are quite a mess! You must change! You must! With a muddy hem, it could be just enough to frighten Mr. Darcy away!"_

_"Dear mother, Mr. Darcy has seen me in far worse states!" said Elizabeth with a smile. She thought back to the first time he had seen her with muddied hems, when she walked to Netherfield to be with her sister. She remembered how she felt when he handed her into the carriage. She could not shake the warm feeling from his hand, and she thought she saw him flexing the hand that had touched hers. Then she thought back to when he had first proposed. She had been soaked and cold, secretly wishing that Mr. Darcy would just stop talking and take her into his arms. She frowned when she thought back to that moment, but shook it off quickly. She would be marrying him soon, anyhow. Jane told her to settle Mrs. Bennet's nerves and change, so she went and changed into an earthly green dress. After that, she sat in the chair by the open window - which was also the same chair that Lydia later sat in - where Mr. Darcy greeted her._

_Elizabeth repeated the conversation between them and then blushed when she repeated the parts where they almost kissed. When Mr. Wickham and Lydia arrived (she did not repeat her promise to kiss Mr. Darcy when they found private time), she greeted her sister warmly and then took Mr. Darcy outside. She sat in the swing and he stood beside her watching her with a smile on his face. (She faltered in her story, then continued.)_

_"I cannot wait for our wedding day," she told Mr. Darcy._

_"Believe me, My dear Lizzie, when I say that I am anticipating it far more than you," said Mr. Darcy, causing Elizabeth to laugh._

_"I don't know, Mr. Darcy... How can a man anticipate such a day more than a woman?"_

_"Easily, if the man has been in love with the woman far longer than she has with him."_

_"You have only known me since last winter."_

_"Yes, and you have known me for the same amount of time. I fell in love with you the moment you told met that dancing was the way to gain your affections." Elizabeth scoffed and deepened her voice to mimic him._

_"I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation." Mr. Darcy laughed and took her into his arms, pressing his lips to her brow._

_"Perhaps I didn't know then, but I most certainly do now." He began to lean into her. "You made a promise to me, my dearest Lizzie." (Elizabeth yet again faltered.) She recalled Mr. Bingley calling out for Mr. Darcy, but the two of them had taken a walk together. After their walk, they returned inside for dinner. Mr. Bennet sat at the head of the table with Mr. Darcy to his left and Elizabeth to his right. Beside Elizabeth was Lydia, then Kitty and then Mr. Wickham. Beside Mr. Darcy was Mr. Bingley, Mary and then Jane. Mrs. Bennet sat at the other end of the table. She recalled switching the glasses with Lydia, and then recalled Lydia taking the glass from her and taking a sip._

* * *

Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley were pink as they recalled an earlier event. "After that, Mr. Darcy and I walked down the hall talking of our wedding before we took our seat on that very sofa," said Elizabeth.

"I can confirm that story, as I was there for it almost entirely," said Mr. Darcy, turning to his beloved Elizabeth. "However, I do not recall the part about the sonnet, nor did I recall the part about your thoughts." Elizabeth blushed slightly and turned away. "Four of us, now, can recall the exchanging of the glasses. Did anyone else witness this?"

"I did," said Mr. Bingley.

"As did I," said Mr. Bennet, having returned with the servants. "I spoke with the servants and I can assure you, Mr. Darcy, that they are clean. Miss Stanton had not once entered the kitchen, Mr. Thomas was outside tending to the livestock during dinner and Mrs. Potts was busy preparing and serving our dinner to us. She did not pour the wine in Lydia's cup."

"Perhaps Elizabeth poisoned the glass when she took Lydia's cup!" Mr. Wickham exclaimed.

"She did not. My eyes were on her at all times," said Mr. Darcy, directing his hard and stern gaze and Mr. Wickham.

"Someone killed my Lydia!" Mr. Wickham shouted.

"Yes, someone did indeed... How about you share your story with us?" said Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth stood and approached him, taking his arm and matching his hard gaze.

"My story? Isn't it obvious?" Mr. Wickham exclaimed.

"Everyone's story has, in some way, diverged slightly from everyone else's. You, sir, are notorious for diverging from the truth. Please share your story with us," said Mr. Darcy.

"Very well..." He cleared his throat.


	6. Wickham's Story

"I don't understand why I have to do this, Darcy! I had no motive to kill my wife!"

"Just shut up for once, Wickham, and tell your story. We're all frightened out of our minds!"

"Fine... We awoke in London this morning having stayed there overnight..."

* * *

_Wickham awoke a quarter of an hour before Lydia and dressed, then waited for her to wake so they could go down for breakfast. When she did, he helped her dress, then the two of them went down for breakfast. "I'm so excited to stay at Longbourn and see my two eldest sisters married!" Lydia had said to her husband._

_"Yes, dearest, I know," said Mr. Wickham. Lydia had repeated the same statement to him six times that morning._

_"The fact that Lizzie is marrying Mr. Darcy! Can you believe it, Mr. Wickham, I shall be the sister to the wealthy Mr. Darcy, master of Pemberley!" exclaimed Lydia._

_"Of course, dearest," said Mr. Wickham._

_"And Jane will be marrying Mr. Bingley! Oh, we knew it! We all knew it!" exclaimed Lydia._

_"Dearest, you must eat. It is a long carriage ride from here to Hertfordshire." Lydia silenced and ate, but in the carriage, all she talked about was her sisters' wedding. The rode in the carriage for several hours before arriving at Longbourn. Lydia bounded from the carriage and raced into the house to greet her sisters, especially Jane and Elizabeth. Mr. Wickham was tired (he faltered) and he wanted to rest, so he asked that he and Lydia go upstairs to take a short nap before dinner. She agreed, but of course, she didn't nap the entire time she and Mr. Wickham were upstairs. Mr. Wickham started to wonder what he had gotten himself into._

_When they came down for dinner, he was seated on Mrs. Bennet's left and Kitty's right. His eyes were cast down the entire time and he touched very little of his food. He did not witness the exchanging of the cups, but he heard Lydia say, "Silly Lizzie. I saw that!"_

* * *

"As you can see, there is nothing much to my story at all. It was filled mostly with resting and carriage rides," said Mr. Wickham. Kitty fidgeted in her seat.

"But someone still poisoned Miss Lydia's cup," said Mr. Darcy, lifting the poisoned glass from the table he had set it on earlier. "There must be other clues to this mystery. We cannot just rely on everyone's words. Are there any vials? Anything spilled on a counter top or on the table? Any stains on anyone's clothes?"

"Fitzwilliam, there is, indeed, a clue to this mystery," said Elizabeth, her eyes wide and on the cup.

"What is it, my beloved?" asked Mr. Darcy, turning to Elizabeth.

"That is my cup!"


	7. The Analysis

"Your cup? Whatever do you mean, Elizabeth?" Mr. Darcy asked, very confused. Elizabeth took it from him and turned it, then pointed to her initials on the side.

"Each of us have our own designated cup. This one not only has a design that I ought to have recognized immediately, but it has my initials! Normally, it is only I that uses this cup, so I do not know how it got into Lydia's hands!" Elizabeth told him.

"Dear God, my Lizzie, I'm afraid to say what I am starting to fear..." said Mr. Darcy, turning his back to her and looking at the carpet.

"Wh-what is it, Fitzwilliam?" asked Elizabeth, afraid of his answer.

"It was Elizabeth! She poisoned my Lydia!" Mr. Wickham exclaimed. "She poisoned her own cup and gave it to Lydia! She had to have done it!"

"Where would I have even gotten poison from?" Elizabeth shouted at him. Mr. Darcy came to her rescue.

"My Lizzie was not in the kitchen before dinner," he told Mr. Wickham.

"You were on your walk, then? Why is it that Miss Bennet said that Mr. Bingley returned to her with a flushed expression? Why did Miss Kitty even noticed how flushed his face was?" Mr. Wickham demanded.

"What I saw is not in anyone's best interest to repeat," said Mr. Bingley, still holding Jane to his chest.

"It is to mine and to my Lydia's!" shouted Mr. Wickham.

"Miss Elizabeth's story is not entirely true," said Mr. Darcy.

"AHA!" shouted Mr. Wickham.

"Settle down, Wickham! I did not wish for this to reach the ears of everyone tonight... Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Bennet, I do beg your pardon, but the walk that Miss Elizabeth said we went one was not a walk. Miss Elizabeth and I were..." Mr. Darcy's face was bright red, and Elizabeth took his hand and came to his defense.

"We were kissing because I made a promise to him that I would let him kiss me when we were alone," said Elizabeth. Mrs. Bennet gasped, Mr. Bennet sat up and Mr. Wickham just put his face in the palm of his hand. Mr. Bingley turned pink.

"I did not wish that to be made public..." said Mr. Darcy, his gaze falling to his feet. Elizabeth squeezed his hand in support.

"Fitzwilliam, dearest, you did nothing wrong," she told him, kissing his hand. "The truth is exactly what we need right now, and you have told it."

"Oh, my poor, poor nerves..." said Mrs. Bennet again.

"We still haven't figured out who poisoned the cup," said Jane. "Mr. Darcy, you said you were afraid to say something earlier... What was it?" Mr. Darcy sighed.

"I fear that, because it was Elizabeth's cup, that someone was not trying to poison Miss Lydia, but Elizabeth," he said, and Elizabeth gasped. Mr. Darcy squeezed her hand and pulled her into his arms.

"Well, then it was YOU! You had to have done it! Where else would you have come up with such a thought?" cried Mr. Wickham.

"You're mad, Wickham! You're mad if you think I would try and poison my beloved!" Mr. Darcy shouted at him, squeezing Elizabeth tighter.

"Why wouldn't you?" asked Mr. Wickham.

"What motive do I have? I have nothing to gain from poisoning my beloved! Only something to lose, and not something that I am willing to lose!" Mr. Darcy replied.

"Mr. Darcy, if someone was trying to poison me, they must be someone inside of the family. Who else would know which cup was mine?" asked Elizabeth. Mr. Darcy pressed his lips to her brow.

"I know not, my dearest. If it was someone inside of the family, then where would they get the poison from?" asked Mr. Darcy.

"Someone outside of the family, of course," said Elizabeth. Darcy quickly reviewed the stories in his head, then remembered a spot in Mr. Wickham's where he faltered.

"Yes... Yes, you're right... Someone outside of the family... Someone who would go out of their way to try and get back at me for doing something unfavorable to them..." said Mr. Darcy, and he slowly looked towards Mr. Wickham.

"Are you accusing me?" asked Mr. Wickham.

"A man easily swayed by money... I know now your true motive for marrying Miss Lydia... You were trying to harm me by harming Elizabeth!"

"I came to love Miss Lydia! Why would I poison her to get to Elizabeth to harm you?"

"Because Miss Lydia was poisoned accidentally. There was more than one mind working behind this act. Everything leads back to you."

"There are still so many other holes to your accusation!"

"Not quite... I recall Miss Mary's story rather vividly. A particular part that took place in the drawing room, where she was at the pianoforte and Miss Bennet was embroidering. She said that Miss Kitty was overshadowed by everyone in some form." Mrs. Bennet gasped again and started crying and Kitty's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, Mr. Darcy, please! You are harming my nerves!" she exclaimed.

"There must be more to it! You cannot have thought up all on your own, Wickham. There is always a mastermind behind such a crime... I cannot pinpoint exactly who..." said Mr. Darcy.

"Mr. Darcy, if I was the target, who do you think would come after me?" Elizabeth asked him. He looked at her blankly. "I can think of a few, such as Miss Bingley and someone else you and I both know."

Mr. Darcy slowly caught on to what Elizabeth was hinting.


	8. The Revelation

"You don't think..." said Mr. Darcy, turning to Elizabeth with widening eyes.

"I'm not entirely sure, Mr. Darcy..." said Elizabeth, her gaze returning to the ground beneath her feet.

"My aunt... I should have known!" Mr. Darcy exclaimed, mentally beating himself up. He turned to Elizabeth, his gaze meeting her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Elizabeth... I should have known..."

"Fitzwilliam, please do not apologize! You could not have known," Elizabeth told him, raising her hands to his face.

"We still don't. How can we confirm this?" Mr. Darcy asked Elizabeth, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I don't know... I just don't know..." said Elizabeth.

"I did it! I poured the poison into the glass!" Kitty shouted, standing up. "I can't take it anymore! I just can't!" She collapsed onto the floor in a fit of hysteric tears.

"Kitty! Oh, dear!" cried Mrs. Bennet, and she fainted.

"Miss Kitty, do you care to explain yourself?" asked Mr. Darcy, darting to her side and demanding an answer angrily.

"I wasn't alone! Lydia gave me the poison discreetly!" cried Kitty.

"And where did she get it?" Mr. Darcy demanded.

"From HIM!" Kitty shouted, pointing at Mr. Wickham. Mr. Darcy rushed to Mr. Wickham and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"I knew it! I KNEW IT! Come outside and fight like a man!" he shouted in Mr. Wickham's face.

"It wasn't my idea!" Mr. Wickham cried, but Mr. Darcy wasn't listening. He involved Mr. Wickham in a rather ungentlemanly fist fight in the middle of the parlor until Mr. Bingly pulled Mr. Darcy off of Mr. Wickham and Elizabeth, with tears streaming down her face, held onto Mr. Darcy and begged him to stop.

"Mr. Darcy, please! Please do not waste your time!" she begged him.

"He tried to poison you!" Mr. Darcy exclaimed at her as if she hadn't any sense.

"Yes, Mr. Darcy, I know... But please, do not start a fight in the middle of my parlor," Elizabeth said to him, fighting another tear in her eye. He let out a sigh and wiped it with his thumb, then kissed her brow.

"You are the most valuable thing in the world to me. I cannot lose you and I cannot just stand there like a weak-minded git when I almost do," he told her, then he turned to Kitty. "Miss Kitty, do you have anything else to say?"

"I was not told it was poison. I was told it was something else, some kind of potion that would help Lizzie. I believed it a gift of some sort, not something to kill her," said Kitty.

"Something Mr. Wickham told you?" asked Mr. Darcy, and Kitty nodded. Mr. Darcy turned to Mr. Wickham. "Explain yourself."

"You were right when you said your aunt was behind this," said Mr. Wickham.

"Was I? Elaborate."

"The story behind the entire thing as follows... You, Darcy, asked Miss Elizabeth to marry you, and she agreed. You then went to Mr. Bennet to ask for his consent, and received it. When you informed Mr. Bingley, his sister, Miss Bingley, happened to overhear. She was outraged, so she went to Lady Catherine. When she heard you had proposed, she was outraged. Miss Bingley also told her of the troubles involving me and Miss Lydia, which led to her asking us to do her a little favor in exchange for money. She funded us as soon as I showed her the poison."

"George Wickham... A man driven by money, or should I say, an unfortunate soul driven by money. A man is not what you are, and the title of 'Mr.' you are no longer worthy of. I assume from that point, you gave Miss Lydia the poison to thus give to Miss Kitty to thus pour it into Miss Elizabeth's glass. However, you had forgotten that Miss Elizabeth is more fond of her water, thankfully, and poured wine into her glass. Miss Elizabeth was the only one to not drink any wine, so while the other glasses were distributed to their rightful owners, Miss Elizabeth's and Miss Lydia's were mistaken for each other, resulting in Miss Lydia's wine being poisoned."

"What are you, Darcy? Some sort of detective?" Elizabeth took her place beside Mr. Darcy.

"No... He's a very intelligent man," she said, looking up at him. He looked down at her with a look of pure admiration.

"So Kitty's story was false?" asked Jane.

"I don't believe it to be false, but I believe it to be lacking," said Mr. Darcy. "Arrangements must be made immediately. Mr. Bennet, I must speak with you in private. Bingley, do make sure Wickham does not escape." He and Mr. Bennet left the room, Elizabeth looking after him fondly.

"I always knew Darcy was a smart man. Much smarter than myself. However, I never thought him to be able to solve a murder mystery," said Mr. Bingley rather fondly. "Greatest friend a man could ever have. You're very lucky, Miss Elizabeth."

"Not nearly as lucky as Jane, Mr. Bingley," said Elizabeth with a smile. She felt a slight chill when Mr. Darcy left the room, but she was warm with the joy of this mystery being solved.


	9. The Conclusion

Mr. Darcy did his best to make sure that Lady Catherine knew very well that her plan had been soiled. He had the chance to ruin her entirely, but he didn't, and Elizabeth was very proud of him when he didn't. All he did was make sure that Mr. Wickham was put away. He kept quiet about Kitty, which also made Elizabeth happy, and Mr. and Mrs. Bennet contemplated sending her off to school. They decided against it since Kitty, being the partial airhead that she was, made a mistake and that was it. Had she known any better, surely, she would have known to take the poison to someone like Mr. Bennet or Mr. Darcy.

"You should have come to me or Miss Elizabeth as soon as Wickham told you to put it in her drink, Kitty," Mr. Darcy told her.

"I know... I'm such a fool... Perhaps Mama and Papa should send me off to school after all," said Kitty. She was truly ashamed of herself and felt guilty about the entire thing. However, she felt that justification had fallen where it was needed, so she could at least be satisfied by that.

Mr. Darcy's actions in the mystery led Elizabeth to fall in love with him even more, and she demanded that their wedding be moved closer. The earliest that their wedding could we moved was five days from that date, which satisfied Elizabeth just fine. Of course, the arrangements had to be rushed, and Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth did not see each other at all until the wedding itself. Mr. Darcy's breath was taken when his eyes fell on his beautiful Elizabeth, clad in light blue, walking towards him. Mary's playing was excellent, while not perfect, but neither Mr. Darcy nor Elizabeth even noticed. Their eyes never left each other's for even a moment. Their first kiss as Mr. and Mrs. Darcy was exactly how Elizabeth had imagined it and more. After the marriage took place, Mr. Darcy handed Elizabeth into their closed carriage and climbed in after her, and they were on their way to wherever it was that he was whisking them away to. Elizabeth sank into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder as he removed his top hat and set it on the opposite seat, his arms wrapping around her.

"Where are you taking me, my dearest Mr. Darcy?" Elizabeth asked him once he had settled back into his seat.

"Kiss me and call me 'Fitzwilliam' and I shall tell you," said Mr. Darcy, causing Elizabeth to smile. She pressed her lips to his and pulled away quickly.

"Now tell me, Fitzwilliam!" she exclaimed in a teasing manner.

"I thought I would take us some place where I know neither of us have never been. My dearest Lizzie, we are on our way to Southampton to take a ship to Ireland," he told her.

"Ireland? I heard it was beautiful," said Elizabeth.

"And I the same, now can I kiss my wife? It is all I have been anticipating this past week."

"And not your marriage to me? I must say, Mr. Darcy, you are bold!"

"Fitzwilliam, and marrying you comes with the kissing, now please kiss me or I shall go insane." Elizabeth laughed, very much enjoying the teasing, and pressed her lips to his. They lost track of time while they were kissing, but they stopped when their carriage came to a halt, which meant that they were at wherever it was that they were to stay that evening. Elizabeth had no idea, but could not wait to find out.


End file.
